“James- the Bondservant”
Heroes of the New Testament Series- 9/28/08
Matthew 4:18-22; Galatians 2:9; James 1:1
Introduction: Today I want to talk about the disciple James, and how he is a hero by the commitment of service he showed to God. James was a fisherman by trade, and as Jesus was formulating whom He would call to be His disciples, James was put on that list. As a fisherman James brought some important qualities that related not only to fishing, but to doing the work of a disciple: first, there is perseverance and patience (not giving up, even though it might take a long time to catch the fish); next, is courage (the sea of Galilee could become quite difficult at times, and having a small boat in a large sea took courage); third, is an eye for the right moment (a fisherman had to be aware of when to cast and when not to cast, and where to cast his net); and lastly, the right bait (sometimes they used nets, other times bait, and different fish will bite on different kinds of bait).
I. The Call- (Matthew 4:18-22, 8:18-20)
a. Jesus calls- Let’s take a moment to learn a little about James. He
was a fisherman, as I said before, the son of Zebedee, and came from a relatively rich family, probably due to their profitable fishing trade. He had the nickname “son of thunder,” that came from his fiery temper. He was one of the first called, along with his brother John, Peter and Andrew. He ultimately became part of Jesus’ inner circle, going with Peter and John up to the mountain to see Jesus have a conversation with God the Father and they also saw Jesus get transfigured.
I want to break this down for a minute to help us see what was happening when Jesus gave James “the call.” James was in the family fishing business. It was a profitable business. He was well established in this work. He knew it well since it had been in his family for a while. Then along comes Jesus one day, and He calls to 4 fisherman (Peter, Andrew, John AND James).
What was expected of James? Jesus didn’t just expect James to come over to Jesus, as in, “Yes Jesus, what do you want?” Jesus expected that James would leave the boat, and follow Jesus. Jesus made it clear in Matthew 4:19, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” Jesus often used analogies that related to the people with whom He was talking. Jesus was talking to fishermenand so He made discipleship out to be similar to fishing for fish.
Verse 22 tells us: “Immediately they left their boat and their father,and followed Him (Jesus).” Two things we see; first, they left immediately. They didn’t first go over and talk with their family. They didn’t go over and ask their father what he thought about them no longer participating in the family fishing business. They didn’t hold a side bar and try to discuss it amongst themselves. No, they left immediately. Jesus’ call to them was not something to be discussed or bargained over, but obeyed.
Second, they followed Jesus. This call to follow is similar to Abraham’s call, in that they were following Jesus not knowing where they would be going. Later we see how Jesus describes His lifestyle, a lifestyle His disciples took on when they began to follow Him; Matthew 8:18-20 says, “When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’ 20Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.’” The disciples were leaving the lifestyle they knew, along with having a definite place of residence and income, to go and follow Jesus and learn from Him not knowing where their meals and lodging would come from.
I think we fail to understand all of this when we simply read the Bible. We think that it was a wonderful thing to be with Jesus, and follow Jesus, and learn from Jesus. And I’m sure in many ways it was. But they had to give up a lot, not just in their physical needs, but in submitting to Jesus and giving themselves over to Him.
If we were called, what would this mean to us? Because Jesus isn’t physically here, we wouldn’t have to follow Him physically; we wouldn’t have to walk with Him. But we do have to give up some things. So let’s talk about the commitment that is involved when we follow Jesus’ call.
II. The Commitment- (James 1:1-5)
a. James- So we come to what was involved in the commitment that
James made to Jesus. A total change in lifestyle. James’ focus is no longer on fish, but on people. Think about this, James was not trained to deal with people, but with the fishing business. James is not a speaker, but a fisherman. James is not a thinker like Jesus is. So I’m sure that at first, James’ head was spinning trying to understand what he had committed himself to do.
But like I said before, he did have some qualities that could help him…
1. Perseverance- This call was challenging, but James had
developed the quality of perseverance, and he would need this quality to keep him going when things got confusing, and when there was conflict, and when he doubted if he could do it. James was entering into a lifestyle unlike he had ever known. What Jesus would require of him would test him greatly. We see how James learned this lesson, as he writes in his letter later on, James 1:2-5, “2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” James learned that his persevering spirit came from God.
2. Patience- James also needed to employ his patience. Being
a fisherman entailed a lot of sitting and waiting. As James followed Jesus, he discovered that this would require patience as well. James had to be committed to waiting on Jesus, instead of seeking to make the decisions, himself. Jesus would ask James to go places and do things that would test his patience. To be committed to Jesus meant to learn to wait for what Jesus had for him to do.
3. Courage- James also had to bring out what courage was
inside of him. And yet, even this courage wasn’t enough. By following Jesus, James would encounter hostile crowds, powerful religious leaders, and crazy demon-possessed people. But we see that Jesus was able to instill this courage in James, because James opens his letter with these words: “James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” A bond-servant in Jesus’ time was a person who was bought as a slave; their life did not belong to themselves. A bond-servant for God was one who willingly gave their life to God; and yet, they knew their life was not their own, it belonged to God.
4. Fiery temper- As I mentioned before, James had the
nickname of “son of thunder.” He had a fiery temper. To be committed to Jesus meant that he had to give over his temper to the Lord, and let Jesus teach him how to control his temper and use it only at the right times and in the right way. This meant James had to humble himself before the Lord at all times.
b. Us- But what about our commitment to Jesus? How do we need to
give ourselves over to God? A good way to think of it is to imagine what it would be like for Jesus to be you for a 24-hour period. What if Jesus woke up in your body, walked around living your life. Nothing changes in regards to your life, or schedule, except that now Jesus is you. Your problems aren’t solved, your challenges are still there, but now Jesus is experiencing them for you. What would happen if Jesus became you? Would people notice anything different? If His priorities governed your actions, His passions drive your decisions, His heart leads your life; what difference would this make?
This is a good way to put the call of Christ on our lives in perspective.
In a Peanuts Cartoon that I found in the book, “The Gospel According to Peanuts,” (p. 96), Lucy is talking to Charlie Brown, and she says: “Sooner or later, Charlie Brown, there is one thing you’re going to have to learn… You reap what you sow! You get out of life exactly what you put into it! No more and no less!!” Snoopy is overhearing this conversation, and thinks about what Lucy just said. In the last frame Snoopy thinks to himself: “I’d kind of like to see a little more margin for error.” God calls us to make a commitment. And based on what we put into this commitment will determine what we get out of it. It is interesting to me when people have made no real commitment to God, and then there are problems in their lives that are really caused by their own decisions, and yet they blame God for these problems. Or they ask God to take these problems away, and get upset at God when He doesn’t remove them.
We reap what we sow. If we want to have God’s presence, and power, and love, and blessings in our lives, then we need to commit ourselves to him. We need to follow the example of James and let God give us a persevering spirit; give us patience; give us courage to stand up to all that is opposed to God; and let God take away those qualities that keep us from being who God created us to be.
In essence, we need to let Jesus live in us, and make the changes He would make if our body were His body, and our desires were His desires.
III. Passing it On- (Galatians 2:9; Matthew 5:14-16)
a. The Idea- When Jesus left, he gave the disciples the command to
“go and make disciples.” Jesus wanted them to understand that as He had them follow Him, Jesus wanted the disciples to lead others to Jesus, but not just a belief in Jesus, but a desire to fully follow Jesus. Discipleship, isn’t just about believing, it is about living; Discipleship, isn’t just about understanding, it is about a transformation of our lifestyle.
In Galatians 2:9 we are told by the apostle Paul, “James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews.” Paul was given the “right hand of fellowship” by James, a pillar of the church, acknowledging that Paul was accepted by God’s people. This is important, because of all that Paul had done against Christians.
You might have done some things in your life that you don’t feel good about; things that you think might keep you from being accepted by God. Know that I would love to give you this “right hand of fellowship,” and maybe when I greet you afterward, you can feel that it is God reaching out to you giving you acceptance.
Above all of that, as those who believe in Jesus Christ, we have the opportunity, and authority to reach out to others and pass on this message, this call for people to “follow” Jesus Christ, and be His disciple. You may have heard the song called, “Pass It On,” which says:
It only takes a spark to get a fire going. And soon all those around, can warm up in glowing. That's how it is with God's love, Once you've experienced it, you spread His love to everyone; You want to pass it on….I wish for you my friend, this happiness that I've found. You can depend on Him, it matters not where you're bound. I'll shout it from the mountain top - PRAISE GOD, I want the world to know; the Lord of love has come to me, I want to pass it on.
b. The action- So how do we pass it on? How do we “go and make
disciples”? The first step is to commit yourself to Jesus Christ. You need to first be a disciple. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer says, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” We need to give up in ourselves that which keeps God from working through our lives; just as James had to give up his fiery temper. We have to break from our past, and understand that God has a new and exciting future for us.
Second, we have to have a heart like Jesus Christ. We have to love people the way they are, but also love them enough to not let them stay lost. We have to want to see others know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We need to try and help others know what it means to know Jesus in a way that changes your life. So many people are going through life groping for meaning and purpose. So many people are depressed and have no direction. So many people are not really making a difference with their lives like they could and should be. We can help them to do this by passing on the love of Christ, and helping people understand the difference that will happen if we make a commitment to Christ!
Third, this means that we have to be an example with how we live. As I said earlier, if Jesus lived in your body, what would change? Think about that, and then seek to make that change. Then help others around you to ask that question, and tell them that you will help them to make that change. One of the things I am doing more of now is mentoring people. In this mentoring, I am helping people to know the vision that God has for their lives, and then help them to set goals and carry out these goals to make it happen. I would love to do that for you if you are interested.
Fourth, it means that we can’t remain silent. As the song said, we need to “shout it” from the mountain top. Or as the Bible says in Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
Conclusion: James understood that he needed to be committed not just to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, but to the lifestyle that Jesus wants us to live. That is why he said in his letter, James 2:14-18, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.”
James was a hero because he learned how to be totally committed to Christ; to be a bondservant. I hope that you will leave here today understanding that when you commit yourself to Christ, it will make all the difference in you not only living a life of meaning, but making an eternal impact in the lives of those around you. Amen.
Heroes of the New Testament Series- 9/28/08
Matthew 4:18-22; Galatians 2:9; James 1:1
Introduction: Today I want to talk about the disciple James, and how he is a hero by the commitment of service he showed to God. James was a fisherman by trade, and as Jesus was formulating whom He would call to be His disciples, James was put on that list. As a fisherman James brought some important qualities that related not only to fishing, but to doing the work of a disciple: first, there is perseverance and patience (not giving up, even though it might take a long time to catch the fish); next, is courage (the sea of Galilee could become quite difficult at times, and having a small boat in a large sea took courage); third, is an eye for the right moment (a fisherman had to be aware of when to cast and when not to cast, and where to cast his net); and lastly, the right bait (sometimes they used nets, other times bait, and different fish will bite on different kinds of bait).
I. The Call- (Matthew 4:18-22, 8:18-20)
a. Jesus calls- Let’s take a moment to learn a little about James. He
was a fisherman, as I said before, the son of Zebedee, and came from a relatively rich family, probably due to their profitable fishing trade. He had the nickname “son of thunder,” that came from his fiery temper. He was one of the first called, along with his brother John, Peter and Andrew. He ultimately became part of Jesus’ inner circle, going with Peter and John up to the mountain to see Jesus have a conversation with God the Father and they also saw Jesus get transfigured.
I want to break this down for a minute to help us see what was happening when Jesus gave James “the call.” James was in the family fishing business. It was a profitable business. He was well established in this work. He knew it well since it had been in his family for a while. Then along comes Jesus one day, and He calls to 4 fisherman (Peter, Andrew, John AND James).
What was expected of James? Jesus didn’t just expect James to come over to Jesus, as in, “Yes Jesus, what do you want?” Jesus expected that James would leave the boat, and follow Jesus. Jesus made it clear in Matthew 4:19, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” Jesus often used analogies that related to the people with whom He was talking. Jesus was talking to fishermenand so He made discipleship out to be similar to fishing for fish.
Verse 22 tells us: “Immediately they left their boat and their father,and followed Him (Jesus).” Two things we see; first, they left immediately. They didn’t first go over and talk with their family. They didn’t go over and ask their father what he thought about them no longer participating in the family fishing business. They didn’t hold a side bar and try to discuss it amongst themselves. No, they left immediately. Jesus’ call to them was not something to be discussed or bargained over, but obeyed.
Second, they followed Jesus. This call to follow is similar to Abraham’s call, in that they were following Jesus not knowing where they would be going. Later we see how Jesus describes His lifestyle, a lifestyle His disciples took on when they began to follow Him; Matthew 8:18-20 says, “When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’ 20Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.’” The disciples were leaving the lifestyle they knew, along with having a definite place of residence and income, to go and follow Jesus and learn from Him not knowing where their meals and lodging would come from.
I think we fail to understand all of this when we simply read the Bible. We think that it was a wonderful thing to be with Jesus, and follow Jesus, and learn from Jesus. And I’m sure in many ways it was. But they had to give up a lot, not just in their physical needs, but in submitting to Jesus and giving themselves over to Him.
If we were called, what would this mean to us? Because Jesus isn’t physically here, we wouldn’t have to follow Him physically; we wouldn’t have to walk with Him. But we do have to give up some things. So let’s talk about the commitment that is involved when we follow Jesus’ call.
II. The Commitment- (James 1:1-5)
a. James- So we come to what was involved in the commitment that
James made to Jesus. A total change in lifestyle. James’ focus is no longer on fish, but on people. Think about this, James was not trained to deal with people, but with the fishing business. James is not a speaker, but a fisherman. James is not a thinker like Jesus is. So I’m sure that at first, James’ head was spinning trying to understand what he had committed himself to do.
But like I said before, he did have some qualities that could help him…
1. Perseverance- This call was challenging, but James had
developed the quality of perseverance, and he would need this quality to keep him going when things got confusing, and when there was conflict, and when he doubted if he could do it. James was entering into a lifestyle unlike he had ever known. What Jesus would require of him would test him greatly. We see how James learned this lesson, as he writes in his letter later on, James 1:2-5, “2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” James learned that his persevering spirit came from God.
2. Patience- James also needed to employ his patience. Being
a fisherman entailed a lot of sitting and waiting. As James followed Jesus, he discovered that this would require patience as well. James had to be committed to waiting on Jesus, instead of seeking to make the decisions, himself. Jesus would ask James to go places and do things that would test his patience. To be committed to Jesus meant to learn to wait for what Jesus had for him to do.
3. Courage- James also had to bring out what courage was
inside of him. And yet, even this courage wasn’t enough. By following Jesus, James would encounter hostile crowds, powerful religious leaders, and crazy demon-possessed people. But we see that Jesus was able to instill this courage in James, because James opens his letter with these words: “James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” A bond-servant in Jesus’ time was a person who was bought as a slave; their life did not belong to themselves. A bond-servant for God was one who willingly gave their life to God; and yet, they knew their life was not their own, it belonged to God.
4. Fiery temper- As I mentioned before, James had the
nickname of “son of thunder.” He had a fiery temper. To be committed to Jesus meant that he had to give over his temper to the Lord, and let Jesus teach him how to control his temper and use it only at the right times and in the right way. This meant James had to humble himself before the Lord at all times.
b. Us- But what about our commitment to Jesus? How do we need to
give ourselves over to God? A good way to think of it is to imagine what it would be like for Jesus to be you for a 24-hour period. What if Jesus woke up in your body, walked around living your life. Nothing changes in regards to your life, or schedule, except that now Jesus is you. Your problems aren’t solved, your challenges are still there, but now Jesus is experiencing them for you. What would happen if Jesus became you? Would people notice anything different? If His priorities governed your actions, His passions drive your decisions, His heart leads your life; what difference would this make?
This is a good way to put the call of Christ on our lives in perspective.
In a Peanuts Cartoon that I found in the book, “The Gospel According to Peanuts,” (p. 96), Lucy is talking to Charlie Brown, and she says: “Sooner or later, Charlie Brown, there is one thing you’re going to have to learn… You reap what you sow! You get out of life exactly what you put into it! No more and no less!!” Snoopy is overhearing this conversation, and thinks about what Lucy just said. In the last frame Snoopy thinks to himself: “I’d kind of like to see a little more margin for error.” God calls us to make a commitment. And based on what we put into this commitment will determine what we get out of it. It is interesting to me when people have made no real commitment to God, and then there are problems in their lives that are really caused by their own decisions, and yet they blame God for these problems. Or they ask God to take these problems away, and get upset at God when He doesn’t remove them.
We reap what we sow. If we want to have God’s presence, and power, and love, and blessings in our lives, then we need to commit ourselves to him. We need to follow the example of James and let God give us a persevering spirit; give us patience; give us courage to stand up to all that is opposed to God; and let God take away those qualities that keep us from being who God created us to be.
In essence, we need to let Jesus live in us, and make the changes He would make if our body were His body, and our desires were His desires.
III. Passing it On- (Galatians 2:9; Matthew 5:14-16)
a. The Idea- When Jesus left, he gave the disciples the command to
“go and make disciples.” Jesus wanted them to understand that as He had them follow Him, Jesus wanted the disciples to lead others to Jesus, but not just a belief in Jesus, but a desire to fully follow Jesus. Discipleship, isn’t just about believing, it is about living; Discipleship, isn’t just about understanding, it is about a transformation of our lifestyle.
In Galatians 2:9 we are told by the apostle Paul, “James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews.” Paul was given the “right hand of fellowship” by James, a pillar of the church, acknowledging that Paul was accepted by God’s people. This is important, because of all that Paul had done against Christians.
You might have done some things in your life that you don’t feel good about; things that you think might keep you from being accepted by God. Know that I would love to give you this “right hand of fellowship,” and maybe when I greet you afterward, you can feel that it is God reaching out to you giving you acceptance.
Above all of that, as those who believe in Jesus Christ, we have the opportunity, and authority to reach out to others and pass on this message, this call for people to “follow” Jesus Christ, and be His disciple. You may have heard the song called, “Pass It On,” which says:
It only takes a spark to get a fire going. And soon all those around, can warm up in glowing. That's how it is with God's love, Once you've experienced it, you spread His love to everyone; You want to pass it on….I wish for you my friend, this happiness that I've found. You can depend on Him, it matters not where you're bound. I'll shout it from the mountain top - PRAISE GOD, I want the world to know; the Lord of love has come to me, I want to pass it on.
b. The action- So how do we pass it on? How do we “go and make
disciples”? The first step is to commit yourself to Jesus Christ. You need to first be a disciple. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer says, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” We need to give up in ourselves that which keeps God from working through our lives; just as James had to give up his fiery temper. We have to break from our past, and understand that God has a new and exciting future for us.
Second, we have to have a heart like Jesus Christ. We have to love people the way they are, but also love them enough to not let them stay lost. We have to want to see others know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We need to try and help others know what it means to know Jesus in a way that changes your life. So many people are going through life groping for meaning and purpose. So many people are depressed and have no direction. So many people are not really making a difference with their lives like they could and should be. We can help them to do this by passing on the love of Christ, and helping people understand the difference that will happen if we make a commitment to Christ!
Third, this means that we have to be an example with how we live. As I said earlier, if Jesus lived in your body, what would change? Think about that, and then seek to make that change. Then help others around you to ask that question, and tell them that you will help them to make that change. One of the things I am doing more of now is mentoring people. In this mentoring, I am helping people to know the vision that God has for their lives, and then help them to set goals and carry out these goals to make it happen. I would love to do that for you if you are interested.
Fourth, it means that we can’t remain silent. As the song said, we need to “shout it” from the mountain top. Or as the Bible says in Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
Conclusion: James understood that he needed to be committed not just to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, but to the lifestyle that Jesus wants us to live. That is why he said in his letter, James 2:14-18, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.”
James was a hero because he learned how to be totally committed to Christ; to be a bondservant. I hope that you will leave here today understanding that when you commit yourself to Christ, it will make all the difference in you not only living a life of meaning, but making an eternal impact in the lives of those around you. Amen.
posted by Logan's Blog at 2:58 PM
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